I give her that because the past twenty-four hours have been rough for her. “Then I’d better get you fed so you can get some sleep.”
While we ate, we caught up on a few things, but nothing too heavy. It was effortless, but at the same time, there was an unease that I’d never had with her before—and I didn’t like it.
After a ridiculous argument about who would sleep where, I got her in my bed with Joan Wick curled up by her feet.
“I have the same one,” she whispers.
“The same what, sweetheart?”
“Insouciance. I-N-S-O-U-C-I-A-N-C-E. Noun. A formal word that refers to a feeling of carefree unconcern. It can also be understood as a term for a person in a relaxed, calm state, who’s not worried about anything. Insouciance.”
My eyes move to the word-of-the-day calendar on my nightstand.
When I was a kid, hell, even as an adult, if I say something stupid around my mom, she smacks me upside the head. It’s like an immediate wake-up call, and I have that same feeling right now, but worse…like a punch to the gut. Because that calendar is the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before I fall asleep. And until this very second, I didn’t realize the significance of the fact that I’ve kept Annie close all these years.
Hebakedforyou?
Annie
I’m pulled out of my peaceful slumber with Ben’s quiet, deep voice calling my name. I squint against the glow of the lamp on his nightstand to find him clear as day and hot as ever. He’s freshly showered, wearing all black, and he’s sitting on the edge of his bed.
Without telling them to do so, my lids flutter closed at the onslaught of the realization that I’m inhis bed,and as usual, I’ve kicked the covers off.
His hand slides up mybare thighto my hip, where I feel a gentle shake and hear my name again. I blink away the sleep and, in rapt fascination, watch as he takes me in.
His gaze leisurely moves up my freshly shaved legs (thank God), over the skin my cami doesn’t cover at my midriff, and slowly glides across my chest. My nipples tingle and tighten as if I were in a freezer, yet I feel like I’m cocooned in a heated blanket turned to the highest setting.
Those mesmerizing hazel eyes of his finally still when he reaches my face, and a small, teasing smirk tugs at his lips. He knows I caught him staring, but he doesn’t care. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I nibble the inside of my cheek and attempt to contain my bliss.
He leans in and rests the weight of his upper body against me. “Sorry to wake you, but I’m about to get going.”
“Oh. Okay.” I push up on my elbows, getting even closer. “What time is it?”
“Almost five.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Yeah.”
I pull my chin to my chest when I feel a yawn start. “Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m fine.”
“But you didn’t even sleep last night, and it’s still so early.”
“I’m good, babe. Promise.”
There it is again.Babe. I love that. “Okay.”
“There’s been a slight change of plans, though. Drew can’t come anymore because Mazie woke up an hour ago with a fever.”
“All right. I’ll be fine alone.” I knew he had a security system, and I felt completely safe when he was at the Agency yesterday. I didn’t need a babysitter, I told him that already, but of course he wouldn’t hear it.
“My parents are coming instead.”
My eyes get big, and I shake my head. “Ben, no. Your dad?”
